Having small children leads to many thought provoking conversations. The most recent, sparked by a discussion of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, was about Leonardo da Vinci. (I honestly wasn’t going to include so many links but after linking to TMNT, I felt guilty not linking to da Vinci).
Leonardo da Vinci was Really Smart
When discussing the blue bandana-ed turtle, Leonardo, my 5 year old recognized this name and offered up, “Leonardo da Vinci was really smart.” I was quick to point out, Leonardo da Vinci worked hard. Drawing the parallel between working hard and success is an important lesson I want my boys to learn (though I’m sure this would amuse my 11th grade Trigonometry Teacher who had a dim view of my work ethic).
Plenty of People Work Hard
As we continued the conversation, I realized that plenty of people work hard. Da Vinci wasn’t wildly successful just because he worked hard. One could work hard rolling a rock up a hill every day but you don’t see any mutated martial arts skilled terrapins named Sisyphus.
Work Hard at Being Smart
I want my boys to work hard at being smart, strive to have new ideas, and struggle to understand things.
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